Steam cooking apparatus.



No. 834225. 'PATENT'ED 00123; 1906.

\ v. .w. B LANc-HARD. STEAM COOKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1906.

it T 622 I. I if 1 lllll znmlll I 1,111

I I j WITNESSES:

VENTOR 1'0. all whom it may concern:

I VIRGIL W; BLANGHARD, or NEW YORK, N- Y.

STEAM COOKING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 23, 1906;

Application filedJannary 22, 1906. Serial No. 297.259.

Be it known that I, VIRGIL W. BLANCH- ARD, of New York, in the county ofNew York and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in; Steam Cooking A paratus, and I hereby declare that thefol owing is a full, clear, and. exact description thereof, referencebeing had.

tothe accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is an improved apparatus;

for cooking food by steam, and is adapted? for use'onor in any ordinaryheating or cook-- ing stove, but is particularly designed'for use inconnection with the gas-heater shown in- .my application Serial No. 297,240, and with:

' the gas-heatmg-range shown. in my applica-- tion Serial No. 297,251.

The object of the present invention is to. provide anapparatus whereinthe articles arecookedby steam at a high temperature and under amoderately-low pressure. The steam. can begenerated. in the apparatusitself,, and for this, purpose I have shown it as adapted to be placedupon and heated by an ordinary range or gas stove or heater; and.theinvention comprises the novel construction of the cooker and certainnovel details of that construction, as will be hereinafter clearlypointed out, and I refer to the-claimsfor summaries ofthe parts and thecombinations of parts for which protection is desired.

Inv the drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical. sectional elevation ofthe complete steam cookenand Figs. 2, 3, and 4. are details. Adesignates the outer vessel or boiler ofj .theapparatuswhich is closedatbottom and provided with a removable cover A. of any 4 suitableconstruction. Within this outer vessel are placed one or' morefood-receptacles which are substantially the same in. construction,three, 1,.2,a nd 3, being shown, and are similarly lettered so far astheir features of construction are similar.

The lower vessel 1 is a pan-like vessel slightly less in exteriordiameter than the interior diameter of the boiler A. This vessel may beprovided with or supported on a skirt-flange B, so as to uphold thevessel a slight distance above the bottom of the boiler. The vessel isproperly centered or located within the boiler by means of narrowprojecting ribs or guards b'on its sides, and it has a circumferentialbead b near its upper end for a purpose hereinafter referred to. In

the center of the vessel is a vertical tube- C, which isopen at bottomand top and forms a central flue for the flow of steam upwardly. Thistube C may be provided at its upper end with laterally-projectingfingers c, which form a convenient means for removingthe vessel by handfrom the boiler. The vessel. 1 may be provided, if desired, with a falsebottom 0, which is supportedv upon lugs 0 so that any food placedwithin. the vessel upon this false bottom will not become I water-loggedor soggy. 1

The superimposed vessel 2 is constructed similarly to vessel 1, with theexception that instead of the flared. skirt-flange B itihas an annulardepending flange B, adapted tofit over the upper end of vessel. 1 andrest upon the bead I), so'as to support vessel 2 upon vessel 1 and keepit centrally thereon, the bottom of vessel 2 forming the closure forvessel 1. Similarlythevesselfl isprovided with a bottom flange B,adapted to fit over the upper edge of vessel 2, and the bottomof vessel3 forms a cover for the top of vessel 2. The tubes C in the severalvessels form prac- .tically a continuous steam-passage which opens intotheiupper end of each. vessel and Y su plies steam thereto.

he upper vessel 3'is provided with are- 8 5 movable cover D, providedwith a depending flange d to fit the upper edge of vessel 3 or either ofthe other vessels. Centrally through this cover extends a rodE, thelower end of which is threaded and engages aninternally- 9o threadedsocket-casting e, attached to the bottom plate of the boiler.

The rod E is providedwith a collar 6, which is adapted to engage thecover D when the rod is screwed dow'n,.and thus clamp the cover firmlyonto 5 the top vessel and also bind the vessels securely together, oneon top of the other. The rod Epasses through the severaltubesC, asshown. The rod may be easily manipulated by means of. a handpiecee onits upper end.

If desired, the flanges 12 maybe provided with laterally-projecting pins6 adapted to engage L-slots c in the upper edges of the vessels, so thatby partially turning an upper vessel on a lower one it can be locked r05thereto, as indicated in Fig. 2, or unlocked therefrom. Similarly thecover D may be providedwith pins (1, adapted to engage similar L-shapedslots in the upper edge of the upper vessel. It will be observed from nothe foregoing that when the vessels are closed and secured, asdescribed, they are substanvery little condensation of steam within'thevessels, and practically the food therein will be subjected only to theaction of drysteam and the temperature both internal and external of andin the vessels remains practically uniform, so that the food in thevessels is uniformly cooked.

It is desirable to keep the steam at a little more than atmosphericpressure in the vessels, and for that purpose the coverDmay be providedwith a regulating-valve adapted to confine the steam therein under a lowpressuresay two to eight ounces. I have shown the cover as provided withan outlet (1 over which is placed a weight-valve (i kept in position bycage-wires (Z and this valve will confine the steam until the pressurein the vessels is sufficient to lift the valve and allow the excesspressure to escape into the casing. By using a slight steam-pressure thecooking operations are facilitated.

The steam-cooker can be used with great advantage with and is designedfor use in the heat-storing chambers shown in my application, Serial No.297,25 l, and by putting the boiler in such a chamber the outer wallsthereof are raised to a high temperature, and consequently the steamwithin the boiler may be superheated with a resultant greatly-:increased rapidity and thoroughness of the cooking operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I therefore claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent thereon, is

1. The combination of a boiler, a vessel therein, supported above thebottom thereof and having a central steam-passage, a cover for saidvessel, and a rod passing through the steam-passage and adapted tofasten the cover to the vessel.

2. The combination of a boiler, a nest of vessels therein superimposedone above the other, and each provided with a central steam-supply tubewith a rod passing through the steam-tubes of the several vessels, anddetachably engaging a retainer on the bottom of the boiler and adaptedto hold the several vessels in position one upon the other.

3. The combination of a boiler, a nest of vessels therein superimposedone above the other, and eachprovided with a central steamsupply tube,the superimposed vessels forming covers for the lower vessels, and acover for the uppermost vessel; with a rod passing through thesteam-tubes of the several vessels, a retainer for the rod. on thebottom of the boiler, said rod adapted to hold the cover upon thetopmost vessel and the several vessels in position one upon the other 4.In a steam-cooker, the combination of a boiler having a cover, a cookingvessel within said boiler of less diameter than the latter and having acentral tube for the passage of steam, a cover for said vessel providedwith a pressure-regulating valve, and a rod transfixing the cover andpassing through the tube of the vessel and engaging a retainer upon thebottom of the boiler.

5. In a steam cooking apparatus, the co1nbination of a boiler having acover, an internally-threaded socket-piece on the bottom of the boiler,a series of vessels within said boiler, each vessel having an internalupstanding tube of less height than the vessel, a cover for theuppermost vessel, a rod transiiXing the cover and passing through thetubes of the several vessels and engaging the socket-casing.

6. The combination in a steam cooking apparatus, of a boiler having acover, an internally-threaded socket-piece at the bottom of the boiler,a series of vessels within said boiler, each vessel having an internalcentrally-upstanding tube of less height than the vessel, and thelowermost vessel having a flange supporting it above the bottom of theboiler, a cover for the uppermost vessel, and a rod engaging thesocket-casting and adapted to retain the cover and the several vesselsin position within the boiler.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

VIRGIL WV. BLANCHARD.

In presence of- JAMES R. MANsFIELD, L. E. WITHAM.

